A Tripp Back to Wonderland
by Queen Alice XII
Summary: What really happened when Alice went back to Wonderland? Are things as they were before? This is my first FF I did years ago, be nice. Also this story is written so it can be used as a walkthrough; DO NOT LIKE, DO NOT READ!
1. Prologue

Prologue

Alice had just been put to bed after a long day of experiments in the Rutledge Asylum.

Her head was full of memories from the fire that killed her parents.

That night, years ago, she had dreamed about Wonderland. She was on a tea party with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse.

March Hare: | Wake up, Dormy! It's time for the tea party.

Mad Hatter: | I got one – why is a raven like a writing desk?

In the "real" world, Dinah, Alice's cat, knocked over an oil lamp on the upper floor and the oil ran all over the floor to the open fireplace. The fireplace had been used that day, since it was winter, so the coal was still glowing.

The oil was set on fire and soon the fire reached a stack of books which stood on the floor.

Mad Hatter: | Ah! Ah! Oh dear, oh dear! Ah!

March Hare: | We must save Alice!

Mad Hatter: | Wake up, Alice! Wake up!

Alice immediately sat up in her bed, got out of it and walked out of her room.

Alice: | Mum? Dad?

Mother: | Alice?

Alice walked up the stairs to her parents' bedroom door. But the flames had already reached it so Alice could not get near.

Alice: | Mum? Mother?

Father: | I can't see.

Mother: | Get out, Alice!

Father: | Save yourself, Alice! Get out of the house!

When the flames came too close, Alice ran downstairs, jumped out of a window and landed in the snow. The last thing she heard before she fainted was the horrible scream of her mother.

Back in the asylum, a nurse put Alice's toy-rabbit next to Alice and mumbled as she walked out:

Nurse: | Poor dear. After all these years. Maybe that old rabbit will bring her around.

Alice put her arm around the rabbit while staring at the ceiling. Suddenly the toy turned its head.

Alice stared at it in shock as it yelled out:

Toy-Rabbit: | Save us, Alice!

Alice's head went black and then she fell. Down the rabbit hole…


	2. Dementia

I'm back!

: | = talking, [] = thinking.

Village of the Doomed

Chapter I

-Dementia-

Alice landed on her bottom next to a couple of mushrooms on the ground. In front of her, there was a tunnel with a few lanterns hanging from the walls. It looked a lot like a mine.

The White Rabbit came running towards Alice and the stopped right in front of her.

White Rabbit: | Please don't dawdle, Alice. We're very late indeed!

Before Alice had a chance to speak with him, he ran off.

The Cheshire Cat appeared like he always did and turned his head to look at Alice. He walked up to her and sat down.

Alice: | You've gone quite mangy, Cat. But your grin's a comfort.

Cheshire Cat: | And you've picked up a bit of an attitude. Still curious and willing to learn, I hope.

Alice put her hands behind her back and started to rock on her feet back and fort as she looked around.

Alice: | Wonderland's become quite strange. How is one to find her way?

Cheshire Cat: | As knowing where you're going is preferable to being lost, ask. Rabbit knows a thing or two. And I, myself, don't need a weathervane to tell which way the wind blows. Let your need guide your behaviour. Suppress your instinct to lead. Pursue Rabbit.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Alice walked down the tunnel and turned right in search for the White Rabbit.

Alice: | [Why does everyone here seem so hostile? Or demented for that matter?]

She walked down a little wooden ramp and looked around. There was a house to the left and a Torch Gnome right next to it. She walked up to him. He looked rather tired and miserable.

He said without looking at her when she got nearer:

Torch Gnome: | Our land is destroyed; our spirits crushed.

Alice: | Reminds me of the asylum. Is there no joy here?

He looked at her with sad eyes.

Torch Gnome: | Slavery and happiness do not dwell in the same house.

The Torch Gnome then walked away.

To the left, opposite to the house, was a big crack in the ground which leaked hot steam. The Cheshire Cat appeared next to it.

Cheshire Cat: | When the path is problematical, consider a leap of faith. Ride the wind.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

The only way to the other side was over the crack, so Alice backed a few steps, took a run and jumped. It was far too long to the other side but she trusted the Cat.

She closed her eyes half way over, when she started to fall, but the warm air gathered under her skirt and lifted her up. She then jumped from the column of air and landed on the other side.

She looked up and saw a little house with a sign saying: "DROZE VEZ'S GASEXTRACTION". It then hit her that the steam that leaked from the crack must have been gas. When she looked down the hole, there was indeed a pipe there which leaked gas. When she turned around again, she found another Torch Gnome; they seemed to work there.

Torch Gnome: | Stir up no trouble, stranger. The Red Queen's agents are ruthless.

Alice: | I'm not afraid of her, or her creatures. Never was really. You should stand up to them.

Torch Gnome: | Defiance is useless. While the Queen reigns, only death can release us from this misery.

Alice: | Or her death, I suppose.

The Torch Gnome said nothing, and then walked off.

The Cheshire Cat appeared where the Torch Gnome had been standing.

Cheshire Cat: | Ignore the Queen… for now. Keep your eye on Rabbit.

The Cheshire Cat vanished. When Alice had walked a little further down the tunnel to her left, the Cheshire Cat appeared again in front of her. There was also a strange, hovering, ruby-looking piece of something which Alice had never seen before next to him.

Cheshire Cat: | Meta-Essence is the life-force of Wonderland; that of your enemies is especially potent. Collect what you can. Use it wisely.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Alice picked up the red piece and continued through the tunnel. She turned right and saw something lying on the ground. She picked it up.

It was a knife; the Vorpal Blade. It was rusty but she felt that it was still pretty sharp when she ran her finger over it.

The Cheshire Cat appeared and Alice walked down the ramp to him.

Cheshire Cat: | Your knife is necessary, but not sufficient. Always collect what's useful. Reject only your ignorance and you may survive.

Cheshire Cat: | Rabbit's handy with a map. He's on the right road. And a present, your to big to follow.

He vanished again.

Alice looked up just in time to see the White Rabbit shrink and run into a rat-hole in the wall. She walked up the ramp made of planks to the left. There were often planks between the platforms since the ground was usually covered by green, poisonous-looking water.

The Cheshire Cat appeared next to Alice.

Cheshire Cat: | Odds are the next gnome knows something of value. That last idiot was nearly useless.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

In front of a house with a sign on it which said: "Mayor Elder", she found the third Torch Gnome.

Alice: | Everyone seems completely dejected. Are things as bad as all that?

Torch Gnome: | The truth would reduce you to a blubbering baby… Are you the saviour Rabbit has been telling us about all this time?

Alice: | I shouldn't think so. I'm a person… and just now I wish to get very small… about this big.

She measured between her thumb and index finger.

Torch Gnome: | Calls for serious twisting. You'll need to go sideways, not forward. If I knew how, I'd go sideways myself.

Alice: | Not twisted. Small. I wish to become about this big.

Alice showed the Torch Gnome again.

Torch Gnome: | The Fortress of Doors holds such secrets. But it will take more than a wish to get inside.

The Torch Gnome walked away and the Cheshire Cat appeared right in front of Alice.

Cheshire Cat: | Doors have locks, locks need keys, which you don't have. Let's hope the Doors are open.

Alice: | And if not, there may be more than one way to skin a cat, if you'll pardon the expression.

The Cheshire Cat turned up his nose and said:

Cheshire Cat: | Most unpleasant metaphor. Please avoid it in the future.

He looked at something through the corner of his eye and then vanished.

Around the corner a Club Card Guard came walking, saw Alice and immediately attacked her.

Alice threw the knife at him and it got stuck in the Club Card Guard's abdomen, but he didn't seem to care as he continued to attack.

Alice dodged one swing of the Club Card Guard's staff and grabbed the knife. She gripped it tightly and ripped it through the Club Card Guard. The Club Card Guard cried out in pain, fell to the floor and started to fade away. When he was gone, Alice picked up the Meta-Essence piece that he had left behind. The scratch she had on her arm healed and she continued to walk through the tunnel next to the funny, mushroom-looking house. Alice read on the sign: "Rana – mushroom shop".

Alice walked around a corner and saw a small area with a few houses.

The Cheshire Cat appeared on a ledge to the left.

Cheshire Cat: | Only a few find the way; some don't recognize it when they do; some don't ever want to.

Cheshire Cat: | Key and locks like hens and cocks are often found together.

He vanished and Alice walked down the ramp next to the "BUZZED SAW MILL"-sign, but when she got down, the ramp to the other platform was broken. She walked up again and started to climb up the ledge were the Cheshire Cat had been sitting. She then walked over to the house that was on the ledge and looked inside it, but it didn't seem to be anyone there. Alice turned around and walked up on the ramp and then met a forth Torch Gnome; who spoke with an Irish accent.

Torch Gnome: | Rabbit told us a champion would come. Are you that champion?

Alice decided to play along this time, but only a little.

Alice: | Perhaps. Can you get me inside the Fortress of Doors?

Torch Gnome: | Oh no. Wouldn't dare. Since the upheaval we're all become gutless half-wits. I can barely risk crossing the road… But, make your way to the mines - the deepest pit - there's one wiser and braver than myself who might help. He still lives free.

The Cheshire Cat appeared again.

Cheshire Cat: | The old rebel is a legend. Search the mines for him.

The Cheshire Car vanished.

Alice walked up on the ramp to her left. The Cheshire Cat appeared on a platform under a sign which said: "Yur Mine".

Cheshire Cat: | Every adventure requires a first step. Trite, but true, even here. Protective walls may impede you. But the walls most difficult to penetrate are those that surround our hearts.

The Cheshire Cat vanished as quickly as he had appeared.

Alice turned left and saw only a house, she then looked down at the water. It was a long way down.

Alice decided to jump to the platform where the Cheshire Cat had been, since there were no ramp there. And it worked just fine. She walked into the "Yur Mine" tunnel and then turned left.

Good? Bad? Downright awful? xD

Reviews, please!


	3. Pandemonium

Second chapter's up! Hope you like it!

Chapter II

-Pandemonium-

What she came too seemed to be a dead end. Alice was standing on a platform high over the green water and there were no ramps going anywhere. There were some houses and another platform far on the other side of the cave.

The Cheshire Cat appeared on the chimney next to the platform of which Alice was standing on.

Cheshire Cat: | Hanging ropes are as good as step ladders to those who know how to use them.

The Cheshire Cat vanished again.

Alice noticed that there were indeed hanging ropes from the ceiling of the cave. She grabbed one and swung over the water to the other side. Alice then turned right and walked down a ramp to two houses.

An old-looking, pipe-smoking Torch Gnome was standing there. Alice walked up to him.

Elder Gnome: | Why do you pursue me to this deserted place..?

Alice: | To benefit from your wisdom.

Elder Gnome: | Even blurred vision is valued by the blind. If I were clever, would I cower in this slag heap? I'm not wise girl… I've just grown old.

Alice: | I wish to get very small. No bigger than a mouse. Do you know how I might do that?

Elder Gnome: | Only that? Oh yes, I could manage that… for a price.

Alice: | I have nothing of value.

Elder Gnome: | You have nerve and your health. Mine are nearly gone. I've seen too much suffering… and I smoke too much you see.

Alice: | What must I do?

Elder Gnome: | In the Card Guards' compound a particularly rough Diamond holds the key. Retrieve it. I will… repay the favour.

The Elder Gnome teleported away and Alice walked into the tunnel behind where he had been standing. She turned left and walked through the tunnel on a few rickety planks. There was a sign over her which said: "Danger" and Alice understood why.

In the end of the tunnel, Alice stepped into a cart. The cart was lifted up and at the top it followed a rail. There were a lot of signs warning about falling rocks and sometimes parts of the rails were missing. All along the way she saw Torch Gnomes working and after Alice had been sitting a while a sign said: "Under Construction". Alice jumped out of the cart just before the rails ended. She leaned over the edge and saw the cart fall into the green water.

When she turned around a Club Card Guard attacked her. Alice ran forward and slashed the Club Card Guard in halves. Alice picked up his Meta-Essence and walked up the ramp between two houses.

The cave was a lot bigger here and Alice couldn't even see the ceiling. She looked down again and saw something lying in the corner next to a door.

She picked it up. It was a deck of very sharp cards.

The Cheshire Cat appeared behind her.

Cheshire Cat: | 52 pickup is a staple of juvenile humour. But when the deck slices and dices, it's no laughing matter.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Alice walked through the door, up a short stairway and into a big room. Along the walls in the room there were three statues, one spade, one diamond and one heart. The club was missing.

In the far end of the room there was stairs and a table, two Club Card Guards and one Diamond Card Guard were standing around it.

The Cheshire Cat appeared.

Cheshire Cat: | The Guards lack imagination. Don't play with them, unless you're ready to deal.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

The Card Guards noticed her and attacked. Alice quickly threw the knife at one of the Club Card Guards, drew out a couple of cards and threw them like Frisbees. A few cards cut off the Club Card Guard's head and the others cut off one of the Diamond Card Guard's legs. Alice walked up to the first Club Card Guard and pulled out the knife. Then she walked over to the Diamond Card Guard and stabbed him in the chest.

Alice watched them as they faded away and then picked up the key from the table. It looked like a death's head with an arm sticking out of its mouth.

Alice walked up the stairs and out of the next door, into a portal. The portal dropped her off where she had first met the Elder Gnome, but on a little piece of land next to the green water. Two Diamond Card Guards were standing on the platforms above her and they immediately started to shoot Diamonds at her.

Alice pulled out her knife, but it got stuck in something behind her. She looked back and saw a Club Card Guard standing very close to her; she had stabbed him without knowing he was there. He faded right before her eyes and left a Meta-Essence piece behind. Alice picked it up, turned around and threw the knife at the nearest Diamond Card Guard. She then threw some cards at the second one, making him fall back, dead.

Alice grabbed the rope next to her, climbed up, jumped over to the platform and grabbed her knife. The Elder Gnome appeared in front of one of the houses, waved her over and walked into a portal. Alice followed.

On the other side of the portal, Alice found the Elder Gnome in an airship made of an old football with a mushroom painted on it, a bicycle, a propeller and a basket.

Elder Gnome: | You have the key! Very resourceful. Rabbit's confidence is not misplaced. He is no fool.

Alice: | I certainly hope he is not.

Alice sat down in the basket in front of the airship and they flew away from the platform.

Elder Gnome: | Use the key to free my clan from the oppressive burden they carry. Any fight against the Queen's tyranny is a good fight. They've suffered…

Alice: | I'm sure I'm very sorry for them sir. Really, I am. But what about me getting small?

Another one! Please tell me what you think!


	4. Fortress of Doors

Third chapter!

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Fortress of Doors

Chapter III

-Fortress of Doors-

As they flew deeper into the cave, it became bigger and big stalactites were hanging from the ceiling. Alice couldn't see the ceiling, neither the ground. On one of the huge stalactites, a house had been built and a child was jumping up and down outside it next to a fire. When they flew past him, he jumped after the airship but missed and fell into the dark depths. The Elder Gnome didn't seem to care and just flew on.

Elder Gnome: | There's a Skool, inside the Fortress, where you'll find certain items for creating a concoction that will make you small.

Alice: | What items exactly?

They had been flying next to a stone wall for a while now. In front of them was a platform surrounded by a lot of stalactites and on the wall next to the platform was a gateway. As they flew over it a Club Card Guard noticed them.

Elder Gnome: | Items. Items, girl. You'll know them when you see them. Speaking of seeing things, we should avoid the Card Guard's notice, hang on! … Ahhh! - DAMNIT! We've been seen!

Two Diamond Card Guards came out of the gateway and started to shoot at them. The Elder Gnome flew higher and over the stone wall to the other side. After a short while they came to a strange-looking house, the House of Skool, with walls surrounding it. There were Diamond Card Guards here too, and the Elder Gnome yelled:

Elder Gnome: | Eventually you must break through such walls… but for now, jump!

Alice jumped out of the airship and landed outside the walls. The Diamond Card Guards didn't notice her and when she turned around the airship was gone. She walked a bit to the left and into a hole in the wall. The walls were very narrow around the house and the house, itself, seemed to hover inside of them. The gap between the house and the walls were pretty big and it was no way to get over to the house. Alice turned around, walked to the right and into a doorway.

The place she came to looked like a room, but it had no ceiling.

Alice heard a bone cracking scream and spun around. An ugly Boojum was hovering behind her, looking at her with its drooling mouth open, the drool running down on its worn dress.

Alice threw the knife at it and ran to hide behind on of the pillars in the room. When the Boojum flew back up again too look for her; it dropped the knife. Alice ran out on the floor and grabbed it, then threw it straight up as the Boojum came nearer. The Boojum screamed and burned up.

Alice walked further out on the floor and grabbed the Meta-Essence piece, immediately her headache disappeared. Suddenly the floor started moving and broke in halves, creating a crack, it didn't seem like there was any ground here either.

She ran, jumped over to the other side and ran up the spiral stairs to her right. When she was up, she had to walk over a z-shaped walkway too get to the other side. But when she stepped onto it, it started to tilt. Alice ran as fast as she could and jumped to the ledge, she then hurried into the portal that was hovering there.

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Sorry it's so short ^^', but I hope you still like it. Reviews!


	5. Beyond the Wall

Okay! Chapter 4's up, hope you like it! ^^

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Chapter IV

-Beyond the Wall-

The portal dropped her off in a small maze with chess checked floor, like in many other places in Wonderland, no ceiling and the sky had the same whirling colours.

The Cheshire Cat appeared.

Cheshire Cat: | Inside the wall is not inside the Fortress. The old Gnome was short on details.

Alice: | He was a bit vague… but whether by design, or from ignorance or out of fear, I don't know.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Alice walked to the centre of the maze and saw seven Club Card Guards; all of them guarding a Rage Box.

The Cheshire Cat's grin and eyes appeared.

Cheshire Cat: | The Guards are tools of the Queen. All suits are dolts. But dangerous.

The Cheshire Cat's eyes slowly faded, and then the grin.

When the Club Card Guards saw Alice, she ran forwards, feinted two of them and grabbed the Rage Box. It melted in her hands and the red colour dragged itself up her arms.

The Cheshire Cat appeared behind her.

Cheshire Cat: | Time to raise some havoc. The dogs of war are loose.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Suddenly Alice's whole body started to ache. Her fingers and nails grew longer, her skin turned blood-red and she felt horns growing out of her head. Alice needed revenge.

She lost control of her herself and when she snapped out of it and the rage had faded; all of the Club Card Guards were slashed in pieces. The knife had so easily ripped them apart.

Alice continued through the maze while wiping the blood off from the knife onto her apron. In the end of the maze, she found a door. When she walked through it, there was another door behind it, and behind that one; another. After the forth door, she came to a platform.

Alice looked around. On the other side, there was another platform with a portal on it. She had to get to it. Alice knew that the portals always took her to another place and probably closer the White Rabbit, or wherever the Elder Gnome wanted her to go.

Pieces of floor hovered around in front of her.

The Cheshire Cat appeared.

Cheshire Cat: | Boojums have revolting manners. They'll eat anything. Dispose of them or become a meal.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Alice jumped from one to another and after a few minutes she was about in the middle of the gap. And there it was; a Boojum. It swept down and Alice threw the knife at it and dodged just in time. She picked up three cards and threw them after the Boojum. They missed and the Boojum came back. It screamed and Alice nearly fell off the little piece of floor she was standing on. A second throw of cards hit; this time the Boojum screamed and burned up. Alice looked after it, there went the knife. When Alice straightened herself again; the knife was back in her hand.

The Cheshire Cat appeared on the other platform.

Cheshire Cat: | Cling closely to the path, Alice. A fall will dash your head along with all our hopes.

The Cheshire Cat vanished again and Alice continued to jump from piece of floor to piece of floor. There was no Card Guard there, so she simply just walked into the portal.

But on the other side, she found both Card Guards and Boojums.

She heard three sounds and saw three doors close on the other platform. There was a spiral stairway to the left and a statue that looked a lot like the Mad Hatter, himself. The Boojums attacked at once and Alice ran to hide behind the statue. From there she threw both the knife and cards. She heard one Boojum die, but what about the other? She peeked to the left around the statue. Not one sign of it. She then turned around to peek around the statue on the other side and got herself a big shock; merely four inches from her own face was the face of the missing Boojum. Alice closed her eyes and gripped her knife. She stabbed the Boojum in its neck and it screamed straight into her ear and burned up. Alice crawled out from behind the statue and grabbed the first Boojum's Meta-Essence. She stood up on a bit shaky legs and thought to herself that she really had got the hang of the killing now.

Alice walked down the stairs to her left and when she got down the Cheshire Cat appeared next to three levers.

Cheshire Cat: | Observe, learn, and react. The proper order of things is often a mystery to me. You, too?

He vanished again and Alice pulled the first lever; it had the same sound as one of the doors. She thought about what the Cheshire Cat had said and pulled it back. She tried the other levers and then in another order; right, left and middle. She got it right; and the doors opened again.

Alice walked up the stairs again and to the edge of the platform. Pieces of floor appeared again and Alice jumped over, but before she got too close to the Card Guards, she threw the knife at them. Since the knife had started to come back to her; it was no problem to kill foes from a distance. After she had walked over the gap, she walked past the doors and into a portal.

The next room she came to, seemed to be pretty normal, for being Wonderland; chess checked floor, a few windows, no ceiling of course but nice stone walls. But then when Alice stepped out the floor cracked up and created stairs up to a doorway with a portal in. The steps where moving all the time, so it was a bit tricky to get up. After a few tries and a few falls, Alice got up and entered the portal.

Now she was on top of the walls of the small maze. The portal was right in front of her, but it seemed a little too easy. And, of course, when she got nearer the door with the portal in it closed and two other doors appeared from behind it, they shuffled and then stopped next to each other. At the same time, two Boojums flew in and attacked Alice.

The Cheshire Cat appeared on a the wall a bit away from Alice.

Cheshire Cat: | That savage shriek is the mere tip of the iceberg that is the Boojum's repulsive personality.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Alice grabbed ten cards from the deck and threw them at the Boojums, a few hit but none of the Boojums died. She then grabbed her knife and waited for the Boojums to come close. When one of them came, Alice dodged and ran underneath it, threw the knife at the other Boojum and then stabbed the other one behind her, who looked rather confused, or as confused as you can look with a face like that.

Alice walked up to the two Meta-Essence pieces that was left behind and picked them up; she immediately felt a lot better. She walked to the door in the middle of the three and the door opened. But it was not the right one; this portal was locked, so the door closed again. They shuffled one more time and stopped, just like they did before. Alice chose the door in the middle again. It opened and showed her the open portal.

Alice walked into it with her head high and hoped that this one would lead her right.

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Reviews, please!


	6. Fortress of Doors II

Enjoy!

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Chapter V

-Fortress of Doors-

Alice walked through a doorway out of a small room with stonewalls. When she took the first step out, down a small edge, she immediately recognized where she was.

She looked over the edge of the walkway she was standing on and saw the same spot where the Elder Gnome had dropped her off. Which meant that she was on top of the wall surrounding the House of Skool and that the Skool itself was behind her.

She turned around and walked over to the other side of the walkway. Alice had a much better view of the House of Skool from here but the only thing she could see from this angle was that the House of Skool only had one window on this side and that one was barred.

Just as she turned around came a diamond flying right next to her left ear and then she saw a Diamond Card Guard run towards her with a pained expression on his face; they really did not like it when Alice came and disturbed their peaceful guard. It ran past the other Diamond Card Guard who looked rather confused until he also turned around too see Alice.

Alice saw the other Diamond Card Guard come running as she slit the first ones throat. Alice had to admit that the Card Guards were both slow and dumb.

The second Diamond Card Guard didn't look rather pleased either and Alice got the impression that the Card Guards she met became more and more nervous; maybe the Red Queen already knew about the trouble Alice was causing. Alice doubted it; the Queen of Hearts had always been a little funny in the head.

When the Diamond Card Guard came close enough; Alice threw the knife followed by three cards. The knife got stuck in the Diamond Card Guard's shoulder and two of the cards hit his chest; this was enough to kill him and Alice walked up to him to pick up his Meta-Essence piece even if she didn't need it.

She continued too walk until she came to the front of the House of Skool.

The House of Skool was strangely shaped (like everything else in Wonderland) and now when she was standing in front of it, she noticed that the House wasn't hovering; it was balancing on a rock pillar.

Amazing that it didn't fall down even if it was rocking more now than before, but then again; this was still Wonderland.

The entrance was at the front of the House of Skool and a sign which said "SKOOL" was nailed above it. Alice knew that she always had been a great jumper but to get to the entrance was impossible.

The House of Skool was in a pretty rough shape. The paint was falling off and about all of the windows were barred, but a strange red light shone out between the boards. There was also a funny-looking tower which had a bell in it on top of the House.

She walked a bit further past a lantern and when she walked around the second corner of the wall she heard something that sounded like a door or maybe a window fly open, then two Boojums came flying out of the House of Skool.

Alice ran back along the walkway and threw herself down on it. The Boojums didn't seem to have noticed her, even if they did look around rather suspiciously. Alice laid down for a while until one of the Boojums flew right above her. She threw the knife at it and then she was quickly on her feet. Alice ran past the injured Boojum and dodged the second Boojum's attack. Then she ran around the last corner and stopped in front of the open window that the Boojums came out of.

Alice waited for the House of Skool to come nearer and as she did the Cheshire Cat appeared on the edge of the wall.

Cheshire Cat: | Entering Skool requires a real leap of logic!

The Cheshire Cat vanished just as Alice jumped over to the House of Skool but half way over; the Vorpal came back in Alice's hand. This startled her so much that she almost missed the windowsill. She hung from the sill and threw the knife into the room and crawled up barely in time to stand up and close the window before the Boojums caught her.

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Sorry it's so short, but the chapter in the game is short as well so I couldn't really do anything about it ^^,


	7. Skool Daze

**Sorry it's been a while ^^; I've been a bit busy with work and all. But, before we begin I'd like to thank Mermaid Ninja for that lovely review; Thank you!**

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Chapter VI

-Skool Daze-

Alice turned around and stared at the sight in front of her. A small creature, maybe a child was walking round and round in the room. The child looked rather insane and wore a gag.

When Alice was sure that the Insane Child was no threat she walked up to a painting that hung on the left wall; it was a drawing of the human brain, it said "PHRENOLOGY" under it and Fear was marked.

The Cheshire Cat appeared.

Cheshire Cat: | Every picture tells a story. Sometimes we don't like the ending. Sometimes we don't understand it.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Alice studied the painting a long time until something bumped into her hip. She looked down and saw the Insane Child, who continued to walk like Alice wasn't even there.

Alice backed off too let him continue and then she turned around and walked through the door opposite to the one she came from.

As fast as she walked through that door, a Diamond Card Guard attacked her. Alice hid behind the door and then threw the knife at him; it hit his throat and he fell back while holding it. Alice hid behind the door again and when she looked out, the only thing she could see was a small piece of Meta-Essence. She then walked out of the hiding place, past a wide hole in the floor and up the stairs in front of her. While she did so, she looked around. The walls in the room were covered by bookcases and to her left was a grandfather clock rocking back and fort.

After the first stairs there were two other stairs; one to her left and one to her right. Alice chose the right one and walked up to the doors in front of her. She opened them and two Club Card Guards came running towards her. Alice ran out again and one of the Club Card Guards stayed in the room while the other followed her.

Alice turned around and ran straight towards the Club Card Guard and then feinted when she was near enough. She gripped the knife tightly and then slashed the Club Card Guard in halves.

Alice walked through the doors again and confronted the other Club Card Guard. The Club Card Guard attacked but was to slow, and it all seemed to end before it started.

Alice walked through the door in the end of the room; at both of Alice's sides there were bookcases full of books. She walked forwards and looked around the corner to her right; an Insane Child was standing there. He was acting like a chicken; with his arms at his sides and he bent down a little now and then to peck the ground. Alice looked to her left and all she saw was a dead end. She then walked back, thinking that she fought the Card Guards for nothing.

She turned left when she back in the big room with the grandfather clock and walked up to the next door. The doors opened and shut rapidly so it was pretty much impossible to get in. Alice continued to her right and the last door on that walkway was tightly barred shut.

Alice walked back to the opposite wall and found two doors which were both barred shut. On the next wall, opposite to the one she got through was also a barred door. Alice turned to her left again and saw one last barred door. Just as she was going to turn around and walk down again, she saw something strange lying in front of that last door. There was no floor between her and that thing so she had to get over in another way. Right between the platforms she saw the mantelpiece of the open fireplace that stood next to the grandfather clock.

Alice slowly climbed over onto the mantelpiece and was almost got over to the other side when she slipped and landed on her bottom in front of the fireplace. Alice stood up again and started to climb the stairs but this time she saw a big door behind them and immediately walked down. She walked around the stairs and to the door; she then put her hand on it and pushed. Locked again.

Alice turned around disappointed and climbed the stairs again. When she was in front of the gap she walked more slowly and reached the other side. She stood up on the platform and bent down to pick up the thing lying on the floor. It was a Croquet Mallet, just like the ones the Red Queen likes to play with.

The Cheshire Cat appeared in front of Alice.

Cheshire Cat: | Here's a riddle. When is a croquet mallet like a Billy Club? I'll tell you: Whenever you want it to be.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Alice stepped near the edge of the platform and then climbed down. She now stood in front of the last door. She pushed it open and stepped into an auditorium; the Elder Gnome was seen smoking in front of the scene. Alice walked down to him and as she came nearer she saw two paintings hanging from the ceiling by chains over the scene and small platforms rouse from beneath them; Insane Children were standing on them. A total of four Insane Children; the first one was missing the top of his cranium so the brain was showing. The second one was laughing one second but cried the other. The third one was barking like a dog and the last one had nails in his head. Also a miniature airship was flying around them.

Alice watched them with a bored facial expression.

Alice: | There's a bit more to do then you suggested, don't you think?

The Elder Gnome answered between puffs.

Elder Gnome: | No need for sarcasm. I admit, my memory's not what it was. But I'm here now. I'll try to amend its deficiencies. The library contains a recipe for the potion. Consult the Book of Bizarre Things. Oh, no… Run…

The Elder Gnome teleported away and Alice spun around as two Diamond Card Guards entered the auditorium. She picked up a croquet-ball from her skirt pocket and hit it towards the nearest Diamond Card Guard. The ball hit the Diamond Card Guards head and knocked it off. The other Diamond Card Guard was quickly finished by three slashes by the Croquet Mallet.

Alice ran out of the auditorium and saw the Elder Gnome run into the door leading to the room with the dead end. Alice ran up the stairs and into the door after the Elder Gnome. The Elder Gnome was standing in front of a bookcase and when Alice came closer he pulled out a book which made the whole bookcase move back and show a secret passage. The Elder Gnome teleported away again and Alice took one step forward but stopped and turned around; the Insane Child was still there but he was now showing his acrobatic skills. She turned around again and walked through the corridor until she met a Club Card Guard. The Guard hit Alice over her shoulder and then backed off. Alice ran forwards and stabbed the Club Card Guard right in his chest twice. She then picked up the Meta-Essence piece and continued.

In front of her she could see a huge library and so her hunt to find the Book of Bizarre Things started. She walked up to the first bookcase and saw at once that there was no order among the books whatsoever. She took a big step to her right and a Diamond flew into the bookcase where she had been standing. Alice turned around just in time to launch a croquet-ball at the Diamond Card Guard which gave her enough time to slash him to death with her Croquet Mallet. Another Diamond came flying and landed next to Alice's left foot. She looked up and saw both Diamond Card Guards and Club Card Guards on three different floors.

The Cheshire Cat appeared next to a bookcase.

Cheshire Cat: | What they can't see, they don't want to hear. You'll do better if you become corporeal.

Alice ran behind a bookcase as the Cheshire Cat vanished and a huge blue book which hovered above the floor immediately caught her attention. She walked up to it and tried to push it open, but as fast as she touched it, it flapped its cover and flew away into the sky. Alice ran out on the open floor again and saw the book fly up high and stop in front of a vault in the wall. Alice walked around for a while and tried to find the book, thinking that it had to look suspicious, the only problem was that most of the books looked suspicious. She walked back to where she came from and stepped by mistake onto a small staircase. The stairs started to move and lifted her to the next floor. Alice stepped off the stairs and took a few steps to her left.

The Cheshire Cat appeared in front of a big bookcase.

Cheshire Cat: | Steps to enlightenment brighten the way; but the steps are steep. Take them one at a time.

The Cheshire Cat easily pushed the bookcase over and created a ramp up to the next floor.

Alice fought her way past two Club Card Guards and found another blue book. She carefully put her fingers on the spine of the book and it flew away just like the first one. Alice looked up again and the book placed itself about one three feet from the other book.

Alice turned around and then walked up the bookcase-ramp; it was easier said then done because the books were slippery even if they were old.

All of the Card Guards in the library already knew she was there, so a Club Card Guard was waiting for her next to the ramp. As fast as Alice got up he attacked, trying to stab her with his staff. Alice jumped back and threw the knife at him followed by a croquet-ball. Another Club Card Guard came running and Alice hit him with two croquet-balls so that he exploded. She stood there a little surprised for a while then picked up his Meta-Essence and continued to the far end of the floor; there she found two doors and a sign over them which said: "OBSERVATORY". Alice touched the handles but found that the doors were looked. She then walked over to the other side of the floor wondering if she would ever find the book.

Alice walked over to the other side of the gap between the two sides of the floor and was yet again attacked by a Diamond Card Guard. She waited until he was close enough and the cut him from top to toe. After that she ran to hide behind the nearest bookcase and then looked around it; there she saw the third blue book but no Card Guard. She carefully walked up to it and just as she touched the spine a Diamond Card Guard walked out from behind a bookcase.

What she did then came like a reflex; she grabbed the Croquet Mallet and dashed it into the Diamond Card Guard's head so that he fainted. Alice took out her knife and slit his throat; she thought that that was the fastest way to finish them.

Alice walked into a small space behind the Diamond Card Guard and the floor rouse, lifting her up to the last floor. When she stepped out she noticed that the library had no ceiling and that the stars in the sky looked like pentagrams. She walked out a little further and saw that the moon had eyes and it looked a lot like the Cheshire Cat's grin, a giant stack of books floated past outside of the library.

The Cheshire Cat appeared next to her.

Cheshire Cat: | Countless generations of termites would only digest a mere fraction of the volumes here; and they wouldn't be one wit wiser.

The Cheshire Cat vanished.

Alice turned her head down again and walked up to the forth and last blue book and then touched it. After that she walked to the edge of the floor. The four books were placed like a walkway between the floor and the vault. She jumped from book to book and half way over she noticed that there was a very long way down to the ground. Soon she jumped onto the last book and from there she jumped into the vault and landed in front of a book that was even bigger then the blue ones. Alice read on the spine: "Book of Bizarre Things", the book itself looked like a monster with red eyes. She walked around it and tried to open it from every possible angle.

Alice: | There's no lock, but it won't open. It's stuck.

The Cheshire Cat appeared on one of the vault's pillars.

Cheshire Cat: | Treat it like a Chinese box or a stubborn lid. A tap in the right spot might do the trick.

Alice thought of what the Cheshire Cat had said and the put her hands against the back of the book and pushed. The Book of Bizarre Things fell over the edge of the vault to the ground floor and the spine of the book hit the ground which opened it.

Cheshire Cat: | You call that a tap? Fortunate I didn't suggest force. You might have pulverized it.

With that the Cheshire Cat vanished and Alice walked down to the book and started to read.

Alice: | Mushrooms, poppies, sugar and spice. All those things are very nice. When combined the proper mixture makes a getting-small elixir. Hmm, I don't really like sweets.

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**The end of another chapter, tell me what you think. ^^ Reviews! Reviews!**


	8. Skool's Out

**7th and last chapter:**

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Chapter VII

-Skool's Out-

Alice walked out of there back to the room with the stairs and saw that the big doors stood open. She walked under the stairs and through the doors. The room she came to was huge and had a huge pillar in the middle. As she looked up the pillar a Boojum attacked, Alice tried to feint but it was impossible to avoid the Boojums' attacks since they attacked with sound.

Alice shook her head and ran forward. She grabbed three croquet-balls and shot them after each other on the Boojum. One hit it's arm, another hit it's head and the last killing one hit it's stomach. A Club Card Guard and a Diamond Card Guard started to rum back and forth. Why? Alice had no idée.

Alice walked to a door to her left and entered. The room behind the door was half, the floor was ripped and a small part of the room hovered about 6 feet from the rest. Alice walked down the stairs in front of her and turned left. There was lying something on the floor of hovering piece. She looked up into the sky; a night sky with stars, huge flying stacks of books and a huge empty flying bookcase.

Alice carefully walked out on one of the floorboards and jumped over to the other side. There she got down on her knees and picked up a dice.

The Cheshire Cat appeared on the board which Alice had jumped from.

Cheshire Cat: | Ah, the diabolical dice. A word of caution. Don't throw them when you're alone. The fiends lack loyalty, and their notion of nourishment is quite disturbing.

The Cheshire Cat vanished just as a Boojum passed by.

Alice jumped over to the other side again and ran up the stairs, through the door. She was immediately hit from her right side when she got out; she was surrounded by four Club Card Guards. In that fight Alice was hit many times but stood as the winner in the end. She picked up all of the Meta-Essence that they had left and all of her wounds healed. After that she walked to the other side of the room and entered the doors which had a heart-lantern on each side of them. The sign over the door said: " 1ST GRAYD".

A Diamond Card Guard attacked her and this time Alice drew out her knife. She dodged on of the Diamonds and stabbed the Diamond Card Guard twice in the chest. She walked up to the statue in front of her and looked at it closely; it looked a lot like Mad Hatter. But why would there be a statue of the Mad Hatter here?

Now she had two choices; would she walk to the left or to the right? She chose the right one, the turned left. She walked out of the door in front of her and came to a big gymnasium. Alice turned left and started to walk to the other end of it. She walked past a door and thought that it wouldn't have mattered which door she chose.

When she got to the far end of the gymnasium, hoping the floor wouldn't give in under her since there was a huge hole in the floor. She walked up a little ramp and then to her right; there she found a lever which she pulled and the wall to her right created a stairway leading to the beams in the ceiling.

Alice climbed it and when she stood on the first beam she saw the Elder Gnome stand on a beam on the other side of the room. She walked over to him, not trying to get knocked down by the swinging lamps in the ceiling.

Elder Gnome: | The Gymnasium should be safe. Guards never exercise. Can't afford to lose the weight.

Alice: | I never cared for sports in school… I don't have to put on a pinny do I?

Elder Gnome: | No, it wouldn't suit you. I've recalled one of the potion's ingredients. Mushrooms… lovely texture. What's that?

The Elder Gnome quickly handed Alice the purple mushroom, which she put in her pocket, and then teleported away.

Three Boojums entered the gymnasium through the hole in the floor and Alice ran over one beam over to another and then threw herself over a Rage Box that stood on the middle-beam.

The Cheshire Cat's voice was heard.

Cheshire Cat: | How fine you look when dressed in rage. Your enemies are fortunate that your condition is not permanent. And you're lucky too. Red eyes suit so few.

The same thing happened now as before and Alice finished the Boojums easily.

After that she walked out of the gymnasium into the huge room again; two Boojums attacked her. Alice picked out her dice and threw it at the floor in front of the Boojums. The dice exploded and created a portal from which a demon came out of. The demon started to attack the Boojums and Alice succeeded to sneak up the stairs around the pillar and then into the only door that wasn't barred.

When she turned around she faced two Club Card Guards and one Diamond Card Guard. Alice reached in her pocket again and pulled out the dice and the pack of cards. She threw the dice in the middle of the Card Guards and when they stood there looking confused, she threw five cards at one of the Club Card Guards and then she ran past the others and threw the knife at the other Club Card Guard. Alice left the demon to take care of the rest as she ran into the door behind her; she didn't mind the doors at the sides for now. The sign above this door said: "2nd GRAYD".

The Elder Gnome was fighting two Club Card Guards in this room and Alice ran up to him and fought one of them as he fought the other one. Alice faced the Elder Gnome as the Club Card Guards faded away behind them.

Alice: | You're fortunate I passed by.

Elder Gnome: | Meaning what? I was about to say you're lucky to have found me! Look, I found the last ingredient. Sugared spice drops…

Alice: | Whenever we meet up seems I also find a bit more trouble. Seen any Jumbo Grow, about?

Elder Gnome: | There's a bit in that flask on the sideboard. You see? We're set. Bring back some poppy blooms and we'll mix up the potion.

The Elder Gnome turned around and started to fix on a strange machine.

The Cheshire Cat appeared next to Alice.

Cheshire Cat: | Gardeners store rat poison and weed killers in sheds. Skool's have laboratories for that purpose.

The Cheshire Cat vanished and Alice walked to the sideboard, took the flask and the walked back through the door.

Both the demon and the Card Guards were gone now so Alice just turned left and walked through the door. She turned left again and walked through the "3rd GRAYD" door.

Two Diamond Card Guards patrolled in the room and it didn't take a long time until they saw Alice.

Alice threw four cards from the deck at the Diamond Card Guard in the back and slashed the nearest one with the Croquet Mallet. The nearest Diamond Card Guard faded away and Alice was just going to walk around it as the second Diamond Card Guard shot a Diamond at her which hit her hip. Alice grabbed a croquet-ball and shot the Diamond Card Guard in his stomach; he faded away and Alice picked up his Meta-Essence to cure her burns. She saw a Boojum enter the room through the hole in the ceiling and ran to the door opposite to the one she came through.

Again she was attacked by Card Guards, but Club Card Guard this time, so they were not that hard to handle. Alice looked around after beating them; to her left was a flowerbed with a few plants in it and a sign which said: "SKUNKWEED", and to her right was a flowerbed with a few flowers in and a sign which said: "P. VULGARIS". She walked a bit forward and stopped in front of the flowerbed in which the sign said: "POPPY SEEDS".

The Cheshire Cat appeared on the edge of the flowerbed.

Cheshire Cat: | Unplanted seeds dry out and die. Nature has ordained that certain seeds requires assistance to fulfil their destiny.

Alice took out the Jumbo Grow flask and poured the substance on one of the seeds. It grew up; Alice picked the lollipop and walked out again.

The Boojum was still there but Alice sneaked past it, out into the corridor again. Alice walked through the left door by mistake, and just when she was going to walk back she noticed that the sign over the door to her right also said "2nd GRAYD", but wasn't that on the other side?

Alice decided to take a look through that door first and was surprised for a second to see the Elder Gnome in front of the strange machine. Alice walked up to him.

Elder Gnome: | This condenser can mix the potion… doesn't look like it's good for much else, though.

Alice looked a little closer at the machine as the Elder Gnome started to mix the potion; the machine looked really old and worn out. The Elder Gnome put the finished potion on the side and turned around.

Elder Gnome: | Now time to leave… but not as you came. Go by the way of the Observatory. This star is for your stellar performance… may open some doors for you.

The Elder Gnome took out a big golden star out of his pocket and handed it to Alice. She put the star in her pocket as the Elder Gnome teleported away and the she walked over to the flask; it looked rather familiar. Alice picked it up and read "Drink Me!" on it. Now she understood why she thought she'd seen one like it.

The Cheshire Cat appeared in front of the machine.

Cheshire Cat: | Drink the potion only when you're ready to follow Rabbit.

The Cheshire Cat vanished and Alice turned around to walked into the portal which had replaced the door.

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**Unfortunatly this is the last chapter. I hope you've enjoyed it and I'd be very happy if you tell me what you think.**


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